Castle on the Hill – by Hallie Barkume

“Castle on the Hill” became popular at an appropriate time for our trip abroad. The song creates a lot of nostalgia for Ed Sheeran and the listener. He reminisces on his childhood and talks about how much he’s changed since he was younger. His song specifically references Framlingham Castle, near where he grew up. We visited multiple castles in Ireland and in Wales that are quite beautiful. Many of the places we’ve seen have made me a little emotional and even miss home just a little! I listened to this song with a new perspective about nostalgia for the past and thought about landmarks and events at home that defined my childhood.

Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland

Music is a very important part of my life so finding different ways to connect to songs and artists is an awesome experience. We’ve already been overwhelmed with Beatles information and memorabilia and we haven’t even hit London yet! Stay tuned for my highly anticipated Abbey Road blog post.

Dunseverick Castle in Northern Ireland. Just a little stump!Enniskillen Castle in Northern Ireland

Music is amazing because it’s so similar across cultures, but also so different. The music I’ve heard since I’ve been here has been very similar to music back home, maybe even ten years or so behind. They do enjoy their throwback music. On our bus tour, our guide played us an Irish song that he mentioned was number one on the charts in Ireland a few years ago. This song is hilarious because it’s just about how much he loves food and what’s more Irish than loving your breakfast so much you need to sing about it?

Cardiff Castle in Wales

It’s great that countries are so open to new styles of music. It’s nice to be able to relate to others in their home country with similar music, but also get a feel for their culture. I didn’t mean to make this post so sappy. I’m really having a fantastic time, I swear!